July 15/09 10:12 am - The Durian Cup - Race #3

Posted by Editoress on 07/15/09

The Durian Cup - Race #3: Poker Night!

July 9th, Victoria BC

Race #3 for the Durian Cup series was Poker Night, and riders raced around a short, challenging course (reminiscent of cyclocross) collecting a card on each lap. Riders were able to stop and play their hands (in groups of 3), and would collect points for the night. Winner took 5pts, and 2pts for the other two, plus if a rider had a Joker, they automatically won the hand, and got 5 extra points. Strategies were varied, as some opted to play cards pretty much every lap, and others saved up for better hands. Riders could play as little as one card, and it seemed that this was the more rewarding strategy...

The course itself was easy enough to ride, but made for a demanding race course. It began on Little Face at Emergency One, and winded along the downhill singletrack to Emergency Two, with a gravel corner and sharp right turn up into a short but steep hill. A left turn towards Fire Drill was where riders collected their card each lap, and then another sharp turn up Rolly-Ridge, which is a technical, rocky section which starts with a steeper rocky face to ascend. Riders made another right, and ended up back on Little Face with a short descent towards Emergency One, which was where they could stop and play their cards. The loop didn't allow for a lot of recovery, and A's were riding it in 5-7mins, and B's in 6-9mins. We gave the B's an extra card to start with to balance out the differences in lap times, as all played hands against each other. For those who enjoy even more numbers, it was 1.17 km per lap, and nearly 40m of climbing per lap - see the graphic at the bottom for the race elevation profile, which starts at the lowest point, at the bottom of Little Face at Emergency Two. (Thanks Roland!)

Fields were smaller this evening, no C's made it out. For the B's, we had three riders, including Emily Pridham(Dirty Girlz) who was defending her perfect winning streak, and she did so edging out Evan Guengerich(OrganicAthlete Victoria) by two points, and third was earned by fellow Dirty Girlz rider Andrea Robson. For the B Series, going into the final race we're hoping for the return of Junior rider Logan Simonson(Ind), Eric Simonson(Ind) and Steve Mackenzie(Ind) to challenge Emily for the Durian Cup "B" Trophy!

The A field had 9 riders, many returning. None were more eager than Series and Women's leader Kate Scallion to get underway, and Kate earned her second race win in the Durian Cup, with an incredible 42pts. Kate had luck on her side, drawing three (yes, three!!) Joker cards! She played seven hands total. Kat Wright(Ind) had her best finish in 2nd, with an impressive 31pts in six hands. Kat pulled two Jokers, but lost three hands and only won one without a Joker! Roger Macleod(Ind) proved he meant business as well, ending out Glenowyn Carlson(Team Alliance) by one point with 23pts Roger played seven hands, and Glen scored well enough with three! Further placings were all very tight, including a tie for 5th.

In the A Series, it looks like it will be a real challenge for a rider to overcome Kate's lead, and the primary contenders are Kat and James Cameron (Pro City Cycles), both of whom are away, so we'll see how this shakes down this Thursday evening.

Speaking of which, the 4th Durian Cup race this Thursday (July 16th) is the Gravity Challenge Relay - ideally there will be teams of two, but riders can go solo as well. The race will begin and end in the TTA, the first rider will be the climber, and head up to their partner, who will be waiting at one of three spots - at the top of Who's Yer Daddy for the C's, B's will continue on up to Lumpy Pants, and the A's will hit just about the highest point in the park, at the top of Jolly Roll (~160m of elevation). From there, their partners will descend, back towards the TTA along the Super D course used earlier this summer by Trek/Pro City Cycles for the Island Cup race they organized for the series. It's a demanding climb, and descent! Unfortunately all riders must have a CyclingBC license to compete, which we can provide on-site for $40.

In our other recognized sub-series, Kate is unsurprisingly our Top Woman, Halldor Gunnarsson's (Riders Cycles) perfect score keeps him as the Top Master, Logan remains our Top Junior, and Dave Shishkoff (OrganicAthlete) continues his reign as the Top Vegan!

Series totals can be found here(note: Omnium scoring format, so lower points = better score)

And our photo album, including photos of our unique Durian Cup trophies, is located here

A reminder that registration begins around 6:15pm, and racing will begin at 7pm. All riders are welcome and there's a $3 entry fee.

Our gratitude goes out to our volunteers, Jen, Sarah and Nic who helped make this a fun experience for the racers! Thanks also to OA Victoria sponsors: Green Cuisine, Vega, Oak Bay Bikes, Eatmore Sprouts, the Victoria Soap Exchange, Pink Sugar (vegan!) Cupcakery and Crag X Climbing Gym! A big thanks also to the Trek Shop for their prize contributions (which have been in the $300 range for each event!), and to SIMBS for helping organize and promote the series. Be sure to join SIMBS and help support local mountain biking!